Exotic Pets™

A Spiky Ball of Love — the African Pygmy Hedgie

#348: Dr. Dan Johnson explains the appeal of African pygmy hedgehogs, noting their quiet nature, small size, low maintenance, lack of odor. He recommends scattering hedge

Amazing Creatures in the Briny Deep

#347: Cara Giaimo tells the story of many fascinating creatures in the sea, along with glorious illustrations of them, in her precious little book “Leaving the Ocean was

Rabbits, Rabbits Everywhere!

#346: Dr Dan Johnson sees more rabbits than any other untraditional pet at his Avian and Exotic Clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina — and sees many every day, mostly for di

An Animal Communicator Who Found Riley the Tortoise (4 times!)

#345: Meredith Tollison, an intuitive who professionally makes communication connections between people and their pets, has been called upon to find Riley the tortoise FO

Running a Turtle Brothel

#344: Paul Radice breeds rare turtles like Elizabeth the albino Chinese long neck water turtle, which is now extinct in China. Angel's Hatchery keeps 4 males for eve

Caring for Exotic Pets and Wildlife

#343: Dr. Angela Lennox, owner of the Avian and Exotic Vet Clinic in Indianapolis, traces her concern for the welfare of animals back to the eight baby possums she rescue

A Better World for Betta Fish

 #342: Ariel Heinicke in Berkeley California created the Betta World for Bettas advocacy group to raise awareness about the harmful way these beautiful popular fish are w

Please Don't Gift a Snake or a Turtle to Anyone

#341: Doug Mader reminds you that whether it’s a tortoise that lives many decades, or a mouse that only lives a short while, it is never a good idea to give anyone a livi

Alfred the Little Albino Tortoise Talks to Tracie

#340: Paul Radice at Angels Hatchery and his wife Judith were the first breeders to create Albino tortoises — and enchanted Tracie by introducing her to Albert, the great

The Sad Fate of the Southern Hognose Snake

#339: Jeff Beane is Herpetology Collections Manager for the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences where he has been documenting the shrinking populations since

Meet the Masters of African Cichlids: 50 Years, 45 Varieties, One Legendary Hatchery

#338: Paul Radice and his wife Judith at Angels Hatchery first brought this hardy colorful fish from the 3 largest lakes in Africa 50 years ago and are still breeding the

The Python Huntress in Naples, Florida

#337: Python Huntress on Instagram, Amy Siewe leads guided hunts to kill invasive Burmese pythons, her biggest kill being a 17 foot snake. A “herper” who loves snakes and

How About an African Emperor Scorpion as a Pet?

#336: Dr. Doug explains that scorpions — which are over 200 million years old, the oldest living animal on earth, — are unusual as an exotic pet. African Emperor scorpion

Play with Beaktivity (and Your Food!)

#335: Avian specialist and house call parrot veterinarian Dr. Ann Bourke talks about having helped Sue & John with the development of the Beaktivity hanging parrot toy, w

Reptile Got Mites? Give your snake a bath in olive oil!

#334: Dr. Doug discusses mites on snakes — and the different mites that get on lizards — and how to treat them with an olive oil rub down, or the medication Provent-a-mit

The Special Human-Animal Bond With Fish

#333: Dr. Doug Mader talks about his personal history with keeping fish as pets — feeling emotionally attached to them and their responsiveness to him as their caregiver.

Love Your Fish! (and they'll love you back)

#332: Dr Doug Mader talks about "the atypical human-animal bond" and how statistics are showing a new generation of fish and reptile owners who are forming bonds and inte

How Tiny is Tiny?

#331: Exotic veterinarian Dr Jeff Jenkins in San Diego talks about doing surgery on "tiny things" like a Society Finch (that’s the species actual name, not an adjective!)

His Octopus Friend Who Lived With Him

#330: Dr Don Harris really did have an octopus as a pet — in fact a series of them, as they don’t live very long, but are fascinating “companions.” Note: Octopuses are no

The Clients Are Exotic, Too!

#329: Dr. Jeff Jenkins in San Diego talks about his 40+ years running an Exotic Specialty Practice — the early pioneers of exotic animal medicine on whose shoulders he st